Clerk Circuit court has marriage, divorce and probate records from 1732and land records from 1900[1]

Brunswick County Virginia History

This county takes its name from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg in modern-day Germany

Brunswick County is said to have been named after the Duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg in modern-day Germany. This is because the county was named, more directly, after the House of Brunswick, which had gained possession of the British throne in 1714. One of the titles of the Hanoverian kings of Britain was that of Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg.

Parent County

1720--Brunswick County was created 2 November 1720 from Prince George County. Additional territory from Isle of Wight and Surry Counties was added in 1732.County seat: Lawrenceville [1]

Church Records

Baptist

The 10,000 name petition (dated 16 October 1776) has been digitized at the Library of Congress website. It was signed by people from all over Virginia who wanted an end to persecution of Baptists by the Established Church. Baptists and Baptist sympathizers alike signed the petition. To find your ancestor in this record, first check Hall's transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy (Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39), which is available online at Ancestry ($). It is also available in book form at the Family History Library: FHL Book 975.5 B2vs v. 35-39. Then proceed to the Library of Congress website to see the original images.

Immigration

Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Available at New England Ancestors ($). [Brunswick Co., VA surname: Godwyn.]

Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.

Maps

Migration

Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1975):248-254. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Brunswick County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 254]

Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at FHL; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at FHL; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at FHL. [Includes individuals who migrated out of Brunswick County to other parts of the country.]

Bell published records of Brunswick County residents who migrated to South Carolina:

Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. Available at FHL; digital version at Google Books. [Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch [French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War] with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Brunswick County, see p. 68-69.]

Bracey, Mrs. Carstairs. "Soldiers From Brunswick County, Virginia, in the French and Indian War," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1979):193-194.

Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Brunswick County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

Regiments. Service men in Brunswick County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Brunswick County supplied soldiers for the:

A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Bookset. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Brunswick County on page 129.]

List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Brunswick County, p. 64.]

Civil War

Brunswick County men served in regiments (and companies) from their home county as well as neighboring counties. Because Confederate units often reorganized, this list might not be complete.

Naturalization

Newspapers

Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987. Available at FHL. [Includes Brunswick County.]

Taxation

[1748] "Brunswick County, Va., Poll List, 1748," William and Mary College Quarterly, 1st Series, Vol. 26 (1917):59-64. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version at USGenWeb Archives or at JSTOR ($).

[1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Available at FHL. [1782 personal property tax list of Brunswick County.]

[1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Brunswick County is included in Vol. 1.]

[1787] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1975):248-254. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Brunswick County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on p. 254]

Deaths

Vital Record Substitutes

The Virginia Historical Society's Marriage and Obituary Index, 1736-1820 (newspaper abstracts) is available for free online. Images of the original index cards are browseable, arranged alphabetically by surname.

Brunswick County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See Family History Centers for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.